Description

BRADFORD

SE13SW INGS WAY
1/0/10157 FAIRWEATHER GREEN
08-JUL-08 CHURCH OF ST SAVIOUR (C of E)

(Formerly listed as:
THORNTON RD
FAIRWEATHER GREEN
CHURCH OF ST SAVIOUR (C OF E))

II
Church, C. of E., 1966 and 1971, by George Pace.

MATERIALS: steel frame and shuttered concrete with dark red brick walls in stretcher bond, and slate roofs.

PLAN: the body of the church is a broad rectangle with no division between nave and chancel, with a bell tower to the east, vestries to the north-west and a chapel to the west. At the western end is the church hall, added in 1971. Externally a single asymmetric roof covers the main body of the church, rising at the east end to form a mono-pitch section over the altar area and incorporating the bell tower. There is a porch at the east end of the north side, and a transept with a double pitch roof. To the west is a single storey, flat roof section with an entrance to the north, extending to the transept. West of the main body of the church on the south side is a separate roof, housing a chapel. To the west is the church hall, with a north-south asymmetric roof. All the windows are rectangular, of varying sizes, with plain glass in rectangular leaded lights. Lintels over the doors and the parapet of the flat roofed block are of shuttered concrete, as are the window surrounds.

EXTERIOR: the east end has a tall central section incorporating the bell tower, with a mono-pitch roof to the left (south), 2 small windows towards the base at the right, and a larger window with grills and a segmental arch near the top to the right housing the bell. To the left of the window is a large Latin cross with doubled arms in grey metal, and the words SAINT SAVIOUR'S PARISH CHURCH below in the same material. To the right is a lower section set back with a mono-pitch roof to the right, and banks of small windows, 6 to the lowest level, 5 to the next, 3 to the next and 1 to the top. The porch has a single door facing east. The roof line of the tower continues down to the left, but stepped back, with 2 small windows to the left.

On the south front is a double row containing 30 windows in two sizes, in groups of four, six and eight, all towards the left (west) end of the church. To the right, the bell tower has 2 small windows near the base, and 2 higher up. To the left, the chapel is stepped back and has 2 windows, one above the other, to the right, and four in a double row to the left. To the left again is a short flat-roofed section with 2 windows, and to the extreme left is the gable end of the church hall with 2 rows of windows; 1 short, 2 long, 1 short below, and above 2 short, 2 long, reflecting the asymmetric roof.

The west of the church has a mixture of long and short windows scattered across the upper gable end. The chapel, lobby, service rooms and church hall extend beyond. The west side of the church hall has no windows.

The north side has a porch with a double pitch roof at the west end. The gable end faces north and has 2 windows to the right side and 2 to the left hand corner of the right return. Between the porch and the transept are four small windows. Behind, the bell tower has a large segmental arched window, and the north facing wall continues into the body of the church having three rows of windows, 5 windows in each row. The transept has four windows arranged vertically on the left side of the gable end, with a large metal cross, similar to that on the bell tower, to the right. To the right of the transept are five clerestorey windows above a flat roofed block with 9 windows, a recessed entrance with double wooden doors, and a further five windows, which extends beyond the west end of the church. Above are six windows in the upper side of the chapel. Behind and to the right is the church hall, with windows arranged 3 long below and 2 short, 2 long and 1 short above.

INTERIOR: there is no separate chancel, and the finishes throughout are exposed brick, shuttered concrete and limed oak. The sanctuary area is in the south-east corner and consists of a tall angled purple brick reredos, topped with concrete, and a lower detached, angled purple brick pillar to each side each holding a shelf and incorporating a wooden seat. In front of the central reredos is an integral wooden bench with three backs, and a large black metal cross in the same style as those on the exterior but with more elaboration, fixed to the floor on a raised concrete block. To the fore is the altar table on a low raised platform. The whole is enclosed within an altar rail of iron and wood, open to the centre. The body of the church contains Victorian stripped oak bench pews derived from St John's church in Little Horton, arranged with a central aisle. To the north side is a range of contemporary pews in wood with vertical slatted fronts, in front of the organ, also recovered from elsewhere, which is housed in the transept with a matching front of vertical wooden slats. To the rear is the cylindrical font in white concrete with a wooden lid, set on a raised platform. Suspended above it is a large light fitting in black metal, inscribed around the edges with the words: "This font is erected by relatives and parishioners in memory of/ Beatrice May Parkin, for over forty years a Sunday School teacher and/ worker for St Saviour's Church, who died 2nd March 1961". The main roof has exposed wooden trusses supported on concrete pillars and beams, with rafters and purlins also exposed creating a latticework pattern. On the north side towards the rear are the vicar's and choir vestries with shuttered concrete ceilings and fitted cupboards. Beyond to the west is the narthex, with shuttered concrete ceilings pierced by circular skylights, exposed brick walls and doors to the chapel, service rooms and hall. The solid wood, studded chapel door has the words "I am the Good Shepherd" engraved on it. The chapel has exposed beams and rafters, and an altar to the north with iron and wood altar rail in front. Pews are as in the church. There is a mosaic plaque behind the altar which came from St John's church in Little Horton. The service rooms are grouped together with a kitchen, not original, to the left and cloakrooms to the right. Beyond is the church hall, added in 1971, with replacement wood-panelled walls between original steel uprights, and a suspended ceiling hiding the roof structure.

The church bell, bearing the inscription "Thomas Mears - Founder, London 1838" came from St James' church, Manchester Road, as did did the churchwardens' staves and collection plates.

HISTORY: the first record of St Saviour's is from the Bradford directory of 1883. Subsequently a mission church was established in Jesse Street, but by the early C20 a new site was needed. Mr Eustace Illingworth gave the land for a church and vicarage in 1924, but despite a building fund established in 1916, no work was possible until 1961 when George Pace was appointed architect. The vicarage was built, and work began on the church in 1965. Messrs. Michael Booth & Sons Ltd of Bradford were the builders. The church was consecrated in 1965 by the Lord Bishop of Bradford, Rt. Rev. Michael Parker. In 1969 plans were drawn by Pace for the hall, and this was opened in 1971.

George Pace (1915-1975) is well known for his work on developing a new modern style for ecclesiastical architecture, notably in his restoration work at Llandaff Cathedral and also in designing a number of churches in the north of England.

SOURCES:
G.G. Pace: New Approaches to Church Building- St Martin's in the Field, London Review (1958)
P Pace: The Architecture of George Pace (1990), p72

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:
St Saviour's Church is designated at grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* It is a complete example of the work of George G Pace, a notable twentieth century architect, incorporating many aspects of his approach to church architecture including the reuse of materials and items from elsewhere, and a concentration on structure over decoration
* It is a striking and successful design with a strong character
* The interior, using a consistent palette of brick, shuttered concrete and wood, and strongly angled roof lines, conveys a dramatic sense of space and light
* It reflects the principles of the Liturgical movement in the arrangement of the sanctuary
* The ensemble of church, chapel and hall with ancillary rooms, is intact and substantially unaltered

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26671538

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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